


The Assistant

by DrowningOphelia



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Good Draco Malfoy, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Not Canon Compliant - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Past Violence, Severus Snape Has a Heart, Severus Snape Lives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-29
Updated: 2016-10-29
Packaged: 2018-08-27 19:32:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8413870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrowningOphelia/pseuds/DrowningOphelia
Summary: Severus Snape survived the War and starts up a Potions shop with the help of Harry Potter. Problem is, he is up to his eyeballs in orders and needs an assistant. Enter Luna Lovegood. This work is inspired by a series of fan art done by jill_s_alg.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Authors Note: All characters are owned by JK Rowling. this series does not follow the books entirely, and ignores the death of Severus. This series also ignores the epiloge of the book entirely. There may be more pairings mentioned later on, if here is a unusual pairing you would like to see, please mention in the comments and I might try work it in. 
> 
> I ended up writing this because I thought the idea of Luna x Severus would be interesting.

Severus Snape fingered the thick bandages around his neck under the high collar of his potions robes.

It had been over a year since that fated encounter with that damned snake, but he swore he could still feel the fangs biting into the thick tendons on his neck. He rubbed absently at it-it became habit now, the skin healing was starting to itch against the wool robes.

 The raven haired man watched impassively through his store's window front as groups of families hurried home as the lights came on. The rebuilding Diagon Alley getting along very well, but it would still be awhile before the shop fronts were full again. The Death Eater attacks had left some stores burnt out husks, while their neighbors stood pristine in the fading autumn twilight. Some of them stood like gaping wounds, cursed with such dark magic the stone work itself was resistant to any attempts to repair the damage.

Severus had heard some gossip from a group of young witches buying beauty potions that the buildings might end up leveled and used as a Muggle type "Memorial Garden" , what ever that was. Privately, Diagon Alley could use a few open spaces as it got positively claustrophobic during the peak hours. It was starting to drizzle and the sky overhead was oppressively grey with rain. Some went to the Three Broomsticks or elsewhere. Most of the shops were starting to close or already closed, leaving the Potion Master's apothecary one of the few still open.

 

He leaned back against the dark wood countertop and sighed deeply before taking a grateful sip of his steaming hot, honey-laced tea. A little sign, written in his perfect scrawl advertised the need for an assistant. What the bloody hell had he gotten himself into?

After Potter-no, the man sneered-Harry. He owed the young man that courtesy now. Harry Potter had finally cleared his name while the Potions Master was healing from his grave wounds at Saint Mungo's Hospital. A young group of Aurors stumbled upon Severus by accident and administered the anti-venom while others called for the MediWitch squad. The Potions Master didn’t even wake from his healing coma until nearly the middle of June.

When he awoke, he found that his name was cleared of all charges and he was a national hero, alongside the Boy Who Lived and his friends. It was surreal-going from being despised and hated to suddenly-well he would never call it wanted- but.... sought after? Oh, no not for himself, never for himself-but for the story. Several Wizarding newspapers, even Witches Weekly, wanted an interview with the dark-eyed man. One audious witch wanted to base some sappy pulp fiction loosely off his story-to that he threatened to hex her tits off. After a few weeks of ignoring the growing numbers of owls with requests for him, the Wizarding world finally got the hint to sod the hell off and leave him alone while he recuperated in Spinner's End.

It was while he recuperated that Potter –Harry- showed up on his doorstep looking rather sheepish. The green eyed man had to nerve to attempt to return the vial of his memories! He never would have given the boy something so personal but encroaching death does strange things to one's logic.

After a few minutes of awkward conversation the two raven-haired men finally came to some understandings, even what might be tentative friendship. Harry talked at great length over some tea and biscuits about what it was like growing up with the abusive Durley's. The two of them had more in common then they first knew.

Severus felt a flash of anger at the meddling old man as he set his empty cup down . The black-clad Potion's Master was now glaring at the door as the time ticked by to closing time, daring anyone stupid enough to come last minute.

 

The meddling bastard had led him to believe the Potter Heir knew everything when coming into Hogwarts, that the green eyed waif was raised with kid gloves, treated like a prince. That Lily's child was well-looked after in a loving home and given the skills any young witch or wizard would need to know to succeed in life. How often had that citrus loving old coot talked on the similarity of James Fucking Sainted Potter and his spawn? Or gone out of his way to encourage the boy to be like James Potter? Oh, but the eyes are Lily's..

It was a set up to make the Potion Master hate the young boy before he even knew his first spell.

He could kill Dumbledore all over for half of what he found out over the course of that summer at Spinner's End. Harry had been starved, beaten, treated like a house elf and left vulnerable to the manipulation of an old man's schemes. As he learned about Harry's childhood, he told the boy in bits about his own- of growing up poor, of his abusive Muggle father, about how Tobias would beat his mother nearly to death before turning it on a nine year old Severus.

Harry learned about how Severus' only hope at getting away from home was Hogwarts, like himself. Severus became the Youngest Potions Master in a desperate attempt to save enough money to get his mother out from that damned house. That mastery came too late, shortly after he received it he got an owl from the Ministry saying his mother was killed in a fit of rage by his father, who was now in the custody of Muggle Police. At nineteen he found himself orphaned and he simply could not bare to go home-not when his mother's brains were still splattered across that gaudy 70's wallpaper in the kitchen. He found himself taken in by Dumbledore-oh he was so pathetically grateful to be given a place to stay and a job.

That lemon-drop loving bastard had all of his little pawns set up from the get-go.

What was done was done.

After the war, Severus never wanted to enter Hogwarts again. He didn't think he could stand the pitying looks from his coworkers, nor could he ever find solace in those halls knowing what went down in there. So many lives were lost-so many injured.

And himself? He killed that damnable old badger in the Astonomy tower.. How could he ever go there again? Dear Merlin, where the body fell was near one of the main entrance stairs.. Minerva repaired the cracked stonework from the impact of the body, but he swore he could still see the shadow of it the last time he passed that spot.

War hero or not, Severus was left with very little money save what he had squirreled away, Spinners End, and what potion making supplies and other belongings that was not confiscated by the Ministry on the suspicion of them being Dark magic related. So, Severus sat at Spinners End with his healing throat and dwindling savings until Potter offered him a loan for the Potion Master to start up his own shop. Pride demanded that he turn it down, after all Harry was his nemesis child, but his Slytherin side kicked in and decided to take it for what it was- a loan on good faith.

He knew the Potter Heir had money, but he didn't know how much until Potter signed off on the loan for an entire shop, with the loft above it as well for living quarters. The place used to be one of the many candy shoppe's in Diagon Alley, but it was easily converted to a Potions Apothecary. Unlike the other shop at the other end of Diagon Alley, his was both a partial supply store of pre-mixed blends, as well as carrying a line of his own invented potions. One of his first major clients was St. Mugo's who found uses for his enhanced potions, concentrated potions, and unique cures that he quickly got the patent rights to.

Slowly word got out that his products were good and he eventually got a trickle of customers in that wasn't afraid of the Ex Death Eater, or feared being poisoned by him.

Now he was up to his eyeballs in back orders to fill of certain potions. His blended Curse Scar Remover was very popular at the moment as was his All-Heal tm Burn Salve. St Mugos' now had a standing order for _gallons_ of the stuff. Normally brewing in large quantities wasn't hard to do, but both positions required a few weeks of brew time and the Burn Salve required some ingredients that had to be specially harvested during specific moon phases, otherwise the results was not as good. It was harder to find a reliable supplier these days. He hexed the last fool who tried to sell him sub-par ingredients harvested at any old time.

It was starting to pour outside now. A wizard in a yellow traveling cloak scurried down the streets before skidding into the nearest pub.

"Better close up shop.." He muttered softly to his familiar, an albino raven named Pythagoras, who cawed softly.

Severus found the white raven being decended upon by its fellows that were pecking it nearly to death. Albino Ravens are usually killed as fledglings, hated by all of its kind for being different, and usually die alone, never having a mate. He felt a kin-ship to to the little two-month old bird and took it home to nurse back to health. Fully grown, Pythagoras proved to be a very apt familiar.

The great white bird blinked at him with its emmense blue eyes.

"Who's a pretty bird, hmmm??" The potion master murmered softly, running a long finger down its silky white plumage.

Pythagoras puffed himself up and held his head up in praise, earning a chuckle from his master. Just then the raven-haired man heard the tell-tale chime of the door.

He whipped around, ready to snarl at the interlopper only to come face to face- well, as such as a man of his towering height could get to people with none other then Luna Lovegood.

"...Miss Lovegood, may I help you with something?" He said crossing his arms and taking it the girl in front of him.

Young woman was more correct. She was thin, waif-like, more nymph then girl. She was dressed in a riot of color, some of which made his eyes water. A plum colored cloak partially hid the so called "ensemble" underneath, small mercy that was. Lavender coveralls with the legs rolled up to Capri length, worn over a lime-green blouse. And her socks... good Merlin, Severus had a suspicion that if Dumbledore wasn't gayer then the day was long then the Ravenclaw was a great-great granddaughter of his, as they shared the same love of retina-burning socks. One was egg-yolk yellow with fushia polka dots, the other was ….. what was that color? Not lime green, surely.. This was more vibrant..but it was paired with mold-blue stripes that turned his stomach sour.

"The color is called Chartreuse" Luna breathed in that mystical way she had

"Pardon?"

'Chartreuse, the color of my sock. Kind of green-yellow. Very bright. You were wondering about it. It’s the same color of the aura of a Humble Snorlack Weaver- such misunderstood creatures. They only steal thimbles, you know, because they make such nice baskets for them to use.' The girl continued, taking in his shop.

Severus blinked a few times before subtlety shaking his head 'What can I do for you, Miss Lovegood? A potion perhaps? Herbal blend?'

Boy, wasn't he chatty.

He followed her around like the overgrown Dungeon Bat he was as she looked everything over with that same dazed expression she always had. The store was divided into two parts-a main sales section with relatively tame brewed blends and herbal mixtures. The pristine jars set ready for consumption, all labeled in his neat script. Each label featured Pythagoras perched on a small stack of books with a simmering cauldron nearby. It was Harry's idea when Severus was starting to open the shop to have "brand recognition" to distinguish him from the other seller down the way. His products raged from salves, potions, tinctures, herbal teas for daily remedies, hair tonics, a little bit of everything.

He watched as Miss Lovegood picked up a tiny vial of Dreamless Sleep, and turned the bottle to admire the soft periwinkle color in the fading light.

'Such a pretty color, isn't it professor?' She peeked sideways at him from under her white eyelashes

'Color and clarity of a potion are good indicators of its quality.' He recited, suddenly finding the opposite shelf interesting

'Do you brew all of this yourself, sir?' She asked

'Yes I do' he replied dryly

'Oh. Do you still need an assistant?' She asked hopefully, her heart shaped face lifted up to him

'Yes, good help is rather hard to find...'

'Hmmm... I imagine so.. Such a delicate art I imagine not many have the subtly to be apt at it' the flax-haired girl mused over some blended potion starter kits (Harry's idea, once again)

'You have no idea..' He chuckled

The Ravenclaw beamed at him ' You seem happier here.. No wrackspurts are hovering around you any more...' She waved a hand in the area around the Potion's Master 'That is ok.. You didn't seem to like Hogwarts very much- too many bad memories in the hallways for you'

Onxy eyes blinked at her.

 

His barriers were always up for fear of the Dark Lord, and to keep himself in check.. How much did she know?

'Not much, sir, I just got the feeling that is all' she absent-mindedly replied as she floated over to another rack.

He gaped at her like a fish out of water, earning a crowing laughter from Pythagoras.

'He is such a pretty bird... ' she cooed as Pythagorus preened at her praise 'So sad, though...'

'I would think he would be happy' he arched an eyebrow at her

'White Ravens get picked on their whole lives... they are the outcasts to their society and they die all alone. Its so sad. 'Tiny moon-pale hands petted the bird as if to apologize. 'They never find a mate... they die not knowing how to love'

 

 

Again that tightening feeling in his chest. He had the distinct feeling that the girl wasn't talking about the bird at all. He should be ashamed, but he felt suddenly like bolting out the door. He, who killed the greatest Light wizard Dumbledore, he was a double-agent against Voldemort, wanted to run from a waif of a girl.

 

 

 

Those silvery periwinkle eyes caught his. 'Its ok, I am here to help.. I want to be your assistant."


End file.
